Cheese Tastings in Mt Prospect in July

Cathy2 on the Events Board wrote:I was reading the Daily Herald while visiting relatives, where I learned in article by Sandra Swanson:

Dave's Specialty Foods
512 W. Northwest Highway
Mount Prospect
Tel: 847/259-9510

6 to 7 PM Wednesdays in July

"If you are wondering whether this will be a casual event, consider that Esau is calling it The Cheesehead Club.

"Europeans often have cheese with every meal, but Americans don't have quite the same appreciation for it.

"As a chef who worked for 25 years at places such as Le Titi de Paris, Charlie Trotter's and the American Club in Kohler, Wi., Easu knows the food you serve with cheese can make of bread your taste buds. Pineapple is a bad pairing ... But there is one fruit he'll never serve with cheese under any circustances: the dreaded cherry...

"For his in-store tastings, Esau will provide fig bread with his cheese. He also plans to whip up some cheese tartlets.

"Above all, he want people to be adventurous with their palette. "There's no pressure to buy," Esau sai. "They don't have to like it, but at least they've tried it."

Dave's is having tastings of three cheeses each week. Today's (July 7) were

• Sage Derby -- He made a big deal over this one, but I've seen it everywhere from Whole Foods to Home Economist, and it didn't do much for me.
• Lemon Stilton -- Very tasty, kind of sweet. Crumbly, no hint of blue at all, kind of like a sweet parmesan. I liked it a lot, Mrs. F not so much.
• Australian Roaring 40's Bleu -- A soft bleu in black wax. Very tasty, mid strength, creamy when warm.

Each of these were served with baguette, fig bread (which I thought much too sweet), grapes, sliced strawberry, and warmed in a little tart shell with a slice of grape. The warmth did nice things to the bleu, mellowing it out considerably, and didn't help the derby much.

We bought about 2/3 lb of the bleu and some lentil salad with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh dates. The salad was quite tasty, the cheese will be saved for another time.

The store is quite small: a dozen or so people were pretty much packed in. Dave said he only expected about five people; he'll put a table outside under the awning next week.

I've stopped in and talked to Dave a couple of times- his enthusiasm is infectious. I have a gift certificate for a class I haven't used yet. He doesn't seem to have that many cheeses, but he had at least one with "my name on it. "

Here's another cheese source in MtP:
http://www.aroundthecornermarket.com/

It's mostly stilton and double-gloucester- nothing unpasteurized, but you;ll find something there to like.

--trent

trent wrote:Here's another cheese source in MtP:
http://www.aroundthecornermarket.com/

Dang! Who'da thunk staid, conservative downton MtP would become a foodie center? Between Dave's (interesting selections, a little thin on depth, and too much reliance on mango salsa), Around the Corner Market, Campanari's ice cream (wonderful, wonderful stuff -- maybe not the very best in the Chi area, but worth the trip), you've got lots of stuff in a 1-block radius.

Dave's is awesome. He does have some interesting foods, and is always good to talk to. We stop there before Ravinia every time.

We took a class of his last year, and I really like his teaching style. Learned salmon papillote, molasses glazed pork tenderloin, and numerous other dishes, all of which have become part of our 'regular' meals.

I was going to mention Capannari's in the Ice Cream thread- you summed up my thoughts exactly. It's good, not great, and well worth a stop-by if you're in the neighborhood. As for Dave's? He's catering a couple of things for us tomorrow (wife's b-day). She called him and asked for a chicken-something and he said "Sure, I can do something like that." No set recipe, just an idea. I love that.

I managed to stop at Dave's yesterday. I'm delighted that he's still there. Around the Corner Market closed fairly recently; I felt bad for them but I always thought they were fighting an uphill battle with that location. What is it with Mt. Prospect? It is so difficult to get around, either on foot or by car.

Dave's location on Northwest Highway is pretty inconvenient too-- I guess a lot of his business is catering? Anyway, on a Saturday parking is easy for a change, so I dropped in. The selection is not large, and being Saturday there were probably fewer prepared dishes than usual for takeout, but I got a pound of dark-meat chicken provençale. I think; anyway herbes de provence or similar seemed to have been used and there was a pleasant taste of olive oil along with olives and peppers. Wow, it was really good! And, at $8.50 a pound, quite a bargain. I will definitely be back and would certainly consider Dave for catering over the comparable but much more expensive Foodstuffs.